Keanu Reeves Eyes Netflix Superhero Thriller Past Midnight

10 months ago

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Netflix is officially getting into the vigilante superhero movie game with Past Midnight. The streaming service has been pouring tons of money into original content lately, doing their best to make themselves a major player in every department. That includes bringing blockbuster movies directly to their subscribers. Their latest attempt is Past Midnight, which is set to be directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), with Keanu Reeves being eyed to star. Details are currently a little scarce, but this looks to be a major project for Netflix.

According to a new report, the script for Past Midnight, which was written by TJ Fixman, was subject to a bit of a bidding war, but other suitors for the project weren’t named in the report. Part of what makes the project so appealing, apart from being a superhero movie in an age where superhero movies continue to be by far the biggest movies on the planet, is the fact that Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are on board to produce the movie. The Russos are responsible for directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. So their names carry a certain amount of prestige.

This all makes for an incredibly compelling creative team. TJ Fixman comes from a background in video games, but has sold several movies previously. He just hasn’t had anything actually produced yet. As for Rick Famuyiwa, his feature Dope put him on the map and he’s been high on lists for several big projects previously. He was attached to direct The Flash movie for Warner Bros. at one point, but left over creative differences, which led to the studio doing a page-one rewrite, ultimately turning it into a Flashpoint adaptation. Then there’s Keanu Reeves, who hasn’t officially signed on yet, but he’s been on the rise again in recent years.

Thanks to the John Wick franchise, Keanu Reeves has once again proven himself to be a bankable movie star. John Wick 3 films this year, but he should be free to take on Past Midnight after that wraps, should he so choose. His work in John Wick also proves he has what it takes to pull of the vigilante superhero thing, which is likely why the creative team is keen on getting him signed on for the project. Netflix certainly has enough money to throw around in order to make this appealing to him.

There are no real plot details available for the movie currently. Only that it’s being described as “a new type of vigilante superhero story.” Netflix has had a lot of luck with such stories in TV series form, with their Marvel shows like The Punisher and Daredevil. There’s also no current timetable for production, but Rick Famuyiwa just recently signed on to direct an adaptation of Black Hole, based on Charles Burn’s graphic novel of the same name. It’s unclear which of these projects will go in front of cameras first, but Netflix has a reputation for getting things done, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Past Midnight is put on the fast track. This news comes to us courtesy of Deadline.